


A Dancing Tortoise

by NuMo



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: Bering and Wells (hinted at), Gen, Kidfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 06:06:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9165400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuMo/pseuds/NuMo
Summary: Helena catches Artie showing Livia age-appropriate, German-language classical music.(This little ficlet belongs to myChrysalis seriesand is set shortly after its last published piece,Fate and Pawn. It's best if you've read that before reading this.)





	

“Artie, what in the _world_ are you and Livia listening to?!” says Helena, striding into the living room where Artie has the stereo playing music and a child sitting on his lap. 

“Der Karneval der Tiere, Helena!” Livia squeals with obvious happiness. “Das ist die Schildkröte!”

“The tortoise, hm?” Helena can’t help but laugh. The tortoise is dancing to a much, _much_ -slowed down version of what she knows as Offenbach’s Infernal Gallop, or Can-Can, from her days in Victorian London - and it seems as much out of place in a children’s music piece as she was when she visited the music halls and cabarets that it was played in back then. “Can we listen to this again?” Helena asks when the piece is over far too quickly. 

“Of course!” Livia happily obliges, finding the right button on the remote control, and pressing it. 

They all chuckle while they listen to the introduction by Sir Peter (as Livia informs her), which is equally droll, and then the pianos and the double basses set in and Helena is shaking, _shaking_ , with barely controlled laughter about something that she will explain to Livia when the girl is much, much older.

**Author's Note:**

> I had the privilege of seeing the Carnival of the Animals performed live (video link below, active as of Jan 2nd 2017), by Sir Peter Ustinov and several wonderful soloists, in a Teddybärenkonzert in 1999. Even if you don't speak German, check it out - it is a thing of beauty. Being there that night is a memory I cherish deeply, and thus I will re-listen to this concerto every now and then. And then one day, I happened to think of Helena while the Tortoise was playing, and hilarity ensued. 
> 
> My own favorite piece is actually the Denizens of the Sea, but I do love the Tortoise.
> 
> [YouTube link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dew5PawvIN4) (they left out the cutest bit, though - after the end of the concert, all of the musicians would grab one of the stuffed animals that had been sitting in the pianos, and throw them into the audience. _That_ was a hit.)


End file.
